Washington D.C., 31 March 2004 - "I think we ought to takeevery step that we can, be prepared to do everything that we need todo," President Johnson instructed his aides regarding preparations fora coup in Brazil on March 31, 1964. On the 40th anniversary of themilitary putsch, the National Security Archive today posted recentlydeclassified documents on U.S. policy deliberations and operationsleading up to the overthrow of the Goulart government on April 1,1964. The documents reveal new details on U.S. readiness to back thecoup forces.

The Archive's posting includes a declassified audio tape ofLyndon Johnson being briefed by phone at his Texas ranch, as theBrazilian military mobilized against Goulart. "I'd put everybody thathad any imagination or ingenuity…[CIA Director John] McCone…[Secretaryof Defense Robert] McNamara" on making sure the coup went forward,Johnson is heard to instruct undersecretary of State George Ball. "Wejust can't take this one," the tape records LBJ's opinion. "I'd getright on top of it and stick my neck out a little."

Among the documents are Top Secret cables sent by U.S.Ambassador Lincoln Gordon who forcefully pressed Washington for directinvolvement in supporting coup plotters led by Army Chief of StaffGeneral Humberto Castello Branco. "If our influence is to be broughtto bear to help avert a major disaster here-which might make Brazilthe China of the 1960s-this is where both I and all my senior advisorsbelieve our support should be placed," Gordon wrote to high StateDepartment, White House and CIA officials on March 27, 1964.

To assure the success of the coup, Gordon recommended "thatmeasures be taken soonest to prepare for a clandestine delivery ofarms of non-US origin, to be made available to Castello Brancosupporters in Sao Paulo." In a subsequent cable, declassified justlast month, Gordon suggested that these weapons be "pre-positionedprior any outbreak of violence," to be used by paramilitary units and"friendly military against hostile military if necessary." To concealthe U.S. role, Gordon recommended the arms be delivered via "unmarkedsubmarine to be off-loaded at night in isolated shore spots in stateof Sao Paulo south of Santos."

Gordon's cables also confirm CIA covert measures "to helpstrengthen resistance forces" in Brazil. These included "covertsupport for pro-democracy street rallies…and encouragement [of]democratic and anti-communist sentiment in Congress, armed forces,friendly labor and student groups, church, and business." Four daysbefore the coup, Gordon informed Washington that "we may be requestingmodest supplementary funds for other covert action programs in thenear future." He also requested that the U.S. send tankers carrying"POL"-petroleum, oil and lubricants-to facilitate the logisticaloperations of the military coup plotters, and deploy a naval taskforce to intimidate Goulart's backers and be in position to intervenemilitarily if fighting became protracted.

Although the CIA is widely known to have been involved incovert action against Goulart leading up to the coup, its operationalfiles on intervention in Brazil remain classified-to the consternationof historians. Archive analyst Peter Kornbluh called on the Agency to"lift the veil of secrecy off one of the most important episodes ofU.S. intervention in the history of Latin America" by completelydeclassifying the record of CIA operations in Brazil. Both the Clintonand Bush administrations conducted significant declassifications onthe military regimes in Chile and Argentina, he noted."Declassification of the historical record on the 1964 coup and themilitary regimes that followed would advance U.S. interests instrengthening the cause of democracy and human rights in Brazil, andin the rest of Latin America," Kornbluh said.

On March 31, the documents show, Gordon received a secrettelegram from Secretary of State Dean Rusk stating that theAdministration had decided to immediately mobilize a naval task forceto take up position off the coast of Brazil; dispatch U.S. Navytankers "bearing POL" from Aruba; and assemble an airlift of 110 tonsof ammunition and other equipment including "CS agent"-a special gasfor mob control. During an emergency White House meeting on April 1,according to a CIA memorandum of conversation, Secretary of DefenseRobert McNamara told President Johnson that the task force had alreadyset sail, and an Esso tanker with motor and aviation gasoline wouldsoon be in the vicinity of Santos. An ammunition airlift, he reported,was being readied in New Jersey and could be sent to Brazil within 16hours.

Such U.S. military support for the military coup provedunnecessary; Castello Branco's forces succeeded in overthrowingGoulart far faster and with much less armed resistance then U.S.policy makers anticipated. On April 2, CIA agents in Brazil cabledthat "Joao Goulart, deposed president of Brazil, left Porto Alegreabout 1pm local time for Montevideo."

The documents and cables refer to the coup forces as "thedemocratic rebellion." After General Castello Branco's takeover, themilitary ruled Brazil until 1985.Note: Documents are in PDF format. You will need to downloadand install the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.

Hear/Read the Documents

l) White House Audio Tape, President Lyndon B. Johnsondiscussing the impending coup in Brazil with Undersecretary of StateGeorge Ball, March 31, 1964

In this 5:08 minute White House tape obtained from theLyndon Baines Johnson Library, President Johnson is recorded speakingon the phone from his Texas ranch with Undersecretary of State GeorgeBall and Assistant Secretary for Latin America, Thomas Mann. Ballbriefs Johnson on that status of military moves in Brazil to overthrowthe government of Joao Goulart who U.S. officials view as a leftistclosely associated with the Brazilian Communist Party. Johnson givesBall the green light to actively support the coup if U.S. backing isneeded. "I think we ought to take every step that we can, be preparedto do everything that we need to do" he orders. In an apparentreference to Goulart, Johnson states "we just can't take this one.""I'd get right on top of it and stick my neck out a little," heinstructs Ball.

2) State Department, Top Secret Cable from Rio De Janiero,March 27, 1964

Ambassador Lincoln Gordon wrote this lengthy, five part,cable to the highest national security officers of the U.S.government, including CIA director John McCone and the Secretaries ofDefense and State, Robert McNamara and Dean Rusk. He provides anassessment that President Goulart is working with the BrazilianCommunist Party to "seize dictatorial power" and urges the U.S. tosupport the forces of General Castello Branco. Gordon recommends "aclandestine delivery of arms" for Branco's supporters as well as ashipment of gas and oil to help the coup forces succeed and suggestssuch support will be supplemented by CIA covert operations. He alsourges the administration to "prepare without delay against thecontingency of needed overt intervention at a second stage."

3) State Department, Top Secret Cable from Amb. LincolnGordon, March 29, 1964

Ambassador Gordon updates high U.S. officials on thedeterioration of the situation in Brazil. In this cable, declassifiedon February 24, 2004 by the LBJ Presidential Library, he reiteratesthe "manifold" need to have a secret shipment of weapons"pre-positioned prior any outbreak of violence" to be "used byparamilitary units working with Democratic Military groups" andrecommends a public statement by the administration "to reassure thelarge numbers of democrats in Brazil that we are not indifferent tothe danger of a Communist revolution here."

The CIA station in Brazil transmitted this field reportfrom intelligence sources in Belo Horizonte that bluntly stated "arevolution by anti-Goulart forces will definitely get under way thisweek, probably in the next few days. The cable transmits intelligenceon military plans to "march toward Rio." The "revolution," theintelligence source predicted, "will not be resolved quickly and willbe bloody."

Secretary of State Dean Rusk sends Gordon a list of theWhite House decisions "taken in order [to] be in a position to renderassistance at appropriate time to anti-Goulart forces if it is decidedthis should be done." The decisions include sending US naval tankersloaded with petroleum, oil and lubricants from Aruba to Santos,Brazil; assembling 110 tons of ammunition and other equipment forpro-coup forces; and dispatching a naval brigade including an aircraftcarrier, several destroyers and escorts to conduct be positioned offthe coast of Brazil. Several hours later, a second cable is sentamending the number of ships, and dates they will be arriving off thecoast.

6) CIA, Secret Memorandum of Conversation on "Meeting at theWhite House 1 April 1964 Subject-Brazil," April 1, 1964

This memorandum of conversation records a high levelmeeting, held in the White House, between President Johnson and histop national security aides on Brazil. CIA deputy chief of WesternHemisphere operations, Desmond Fitzgerald recorded the briefing givento Johnson and the discussion on the progress of the coup. DefenseSecretary reported on the movements of the naval task force sailingtowad Brazil, and the arms and ammunition being assembled in NewJersey to resupply the coup plotters if necessary.